How to Apply

Applying to the University of Oregon (UO) Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) is very straighforward. Please fill out the application form and press the submit button.

We ask for information for your personal profile which will be seen by the selection committee, the Program Director, and potential host faculty members. We take great pains to make a suitable match between interns' interests and research projects of host labs. Therefore, we ask you to submit several statements: Describe your academic background, scientific interests, goals, and past research experience (if any). Include significant science courses you have taken and specific laboratory techniques you may have used. Why do you want to participate in a Summer research experience? Explain what you hope to gain from the Summer experience and how it will help you pursue your career and personal goals. Please give a more detailed description of your research interests: Are your interests broad? Have you narrowed them? Do you have defined interests in several areas? After visiting the University of Oregon SPUR link describing participating laboratories, please list a few laboratories for which you might have a preference (if any). Describe your outside interests and activities.

We request two letters of recommendation from faculty at your home institution. A description of the type of information we are seeking from your recommenders is found in a note linked from the online application form.

Typically, the selection process will involve a telephone or skype interview with the Program Director and the prospective host Professor.

We request a list of your courses and grades entered in text format. We will only request official transcript of accepted interns.

Deadlines

There is not a hard application deadline. We review applications on a rolling basis, and we begin making offers of admission in mid-February, continuing until all slots are filled, usually by late March. Spaces are very limited. Therefore, it is important to submit your application as early as you can. We keep an active waiting list in spring, because new spaces sometimes become available late in spring.